Passion Fruit Orchard (Yuanli Township Farmers' Association) Introduction
In Europe, tomatoes are referred to as "LOVE APPLE" because the mature tomato flowers bloom in pairs, their bright red color connecting them together like a couple, which is why they have the romantic name of love fruits. The greenhouse here primarily grows love fruits, hence the name "Love Fruit Orchard," hoping that such a romantic title will bring a sense of romance and memories to visitors while promoting the orchard. The greenhouse design used in the Love Fruit Orchard is specially selected from many greenhouse types, considering Taiwan's seasonal changes. During summer, a typical greenhouse can create a concentration of heat, which can make it difficult for crops like tomatoes to bear fruit. Therefore, when choosing the design of the greenhouse, it was necessary to seek a structure that facilitates cooling and heat dissipation. The choice was made for a retractable roof structure, which allows the plastic cover to roll up beneath the central pavilion, leaving only a fine mesh on top when the roof is up, preventing heat buildup indoors. This keeps the temperature difference between inside and outside to about two degrees Celsius. Additionally, exhaust fans are installed to control temperature quickly in case of poor heat circulation. At the beginning of the Love Fruit Orchard's design, it was the first attempt at greenhouse cultivation, and there was a hope to implement organic farming principles. However, it was found that while the greenhouse environment can isolate many pests, it does not prevent the occurrence of toxic diseases, leading to significant losses in the early stages of cultivation. Fortunately, our advisor, Zheng Nianjun, has put in a lot of effort in this area, continuously visiting and learning greenhouse cultivation techniques to strengthen the cultivation experiences at the Love Fruit Orchard. I still remember that the first year of running the orchard was very challenging; with inadequate skills, I could not gain recognition from my colleagues and also had to face accusations from representatives about setting up a losing venture, making the situation even worse. Thankfully, to this day, the Love Fruit Orchard has become profitable enough to cover its operations, and after years of hard work, we finally see some achievements. Currently, the marketing of Love Fruit Orchard products, aside from tourist fruit picking, also collaborates with several organic health stores, supplying organic products to specialty stores in Taichung and surrounding areas, as no pesticides are used during the fruit picking period. Moreover, the romantic name of "Love Fruit Orchard" and the fresh fruit-picking experience have made it one of the most well-known representatives of leisure agriculture in central Taiwan, particularly suitable for group excursions and family activities across generations. The greenhouse cultivation and fruit-picking experience at Love Fruit Orchard have also become the best venue for outdoor agricultural experience for many kindergartens and elementary schools. Everyone is welcome to come and experience it firsthand!
